Improvement in machines for making tooth-picks



W. P. SWATHEL. Machine for Making Tooth-Picks. No. 191950.

Patented Dec. II 187 7 Fi i.

MPEIERS, PHCTOYUTHDGRAPHER, WASHINGYONZ D. C.

' UNITED 7 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUR n. SWATHEL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING TOOTH-PICKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,950, dated December11, 1877; application filed July 13, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILBUR F. SWATHEL, of Cleveland, in the county ofGuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and ImprovedMachine for Making Tooth- Picks, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the afollowing is a full, clear, and complete descrip- 7 tion thereof,reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, making a part of thesame.

The nature of my invention relates to a machine for making tooth-picks;and consists in the arrangement of a slide or head-block, in which thepiece or boltis held for making the article. This slide moves laterallyin feeding the wood to rotary cutters for cutting the pickslongitudinally. The said slide has a reciprocating movement over theways, in shaving off the picks after being slit by the rotary cutters.The slide, by a certain lost motion of its connection with the crank,remains at rest during the time of splitting or slitting by the rotarycutter, and as soon as the cutters have effected this object, the lostmotion is taken up, and the slide moved along to the knives for shavingoff the picks, &c.

For a more complete description of the construction and operation of thesaid machine, reference maybe had to the annexed drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side view. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is an end view;and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detached sections.

, Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several views.

- In the drawings, A represents the frame or bed of the operating parts.B are ways for the head-block O to slide upon. This headblock consistsof the clamp-head D, for holding the wood or bolt, and the slide E. Withthese parts are connected certain devices, as hereinafter described. Tothe slide E is attached the connecting-rod G, which is attached to thecrank H, Figs. 1 and 2.

Upon the crankshaft is secured the cam I. By means of this cam actingupon the arm J motion is conveyedto the cam-slide K, which is connectedtothe armJ bythe linkL. Above this cam-slide K is a counter-slide K, andbelow is also another counter-slide, K, both of which are alike but theupper one is stationary, while thelower one is connected to thereciprocating slide-plate M of the rotary cutters N, as seen in Fig. 4,and moves up and downvertically with the cutters N, by the action of thecam-slide K and spring Q, Figs. 2, 3, and 4. Interposed betweencam-slide K and the counter-slides K and K" are anti-friction rollers a,

as seen in Fig. 4. These rollers are provided with collars at each end,between which are placed the cam-slide and counter-slides re ferred to.These collars prevent the rollers from moving out of place laterally,and retain the slides in proper direction.

The rotary cutters N are mounted upon a shaft, which is journaled in thebearings b b, which bearings are fastened to the slide-plate M. Fromthis plate M extends a wrist, 0, through an oblong slot in the case P tothe outside, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. Connected with this wrist O is aspring, Q, with its lower end fastened to 'a projection of the frame, asseen in Fig. 3. This spring raises up the rotary cutters N as soon asthe cam-slide recedes. By the action of this cam-slide, as it movesinthe direction of the arrow, the plate M and rotary cutters N are forceddown, and said cutters then cut through the face of the wood block orbolt S, which is fed up to them.

It will be observed in Fig. 4 that the width of the cam-slide increasesfrom c to c. This increase or widening of the cam-slide, as it movesbetween the rollers a, forces down the rotary cutters through the faceof the block, and as the counter-slide K is stationary, the

. jointing of the cam-slide to the. link L allows of aneasy adjustmentof the slide K to its various positions in its reciprocating movements.The said cam-slide returns from the direction of the arrow by the actionof the spring Q, which raises up the rotary cutters, with theslide-plate M, to its original position. Thus, by the action of theslide-cam K, the rotary cutters are forced down through the block forsplitting or slitting it for the series of picks, and as soon as this iseffected the cutters are forced back by the action of the spring Q, asbefore mentioned.

At the time the rotary cutters are slitting the block for the picks, bythe action of the cam I, transmitted to the slide-cam K by link L, thehead-block is at rest. This rest or stoppage of the head-block isattained by a lost' motion of the connection of the rod G with the-slideE, as follows: When the crank and the cam I are in the position shown inFigs. 1 and 2, the cam I is then upon the point of actuating the arm J,and transmitting motion to the slide -plate"M and cutters N by theslide-cam K, as referred to. At this time the wrist dof the slide E isin the position shown in Fig. 6, which leaves a space, 6, between thewrist d and the end 9 of the pitman G, while the crank and cam I aremoving in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, and the rotary cutters areslitting through the block S, from top to bottom, Fig. 3. Then thepitman travels through the space 6, from d to 9, Fig. 6, without movingthe slide E until the pitman end 9 is brought against the wrist d, whichforces the head-block along, carrying the block S to the cutters T, adetached view of which is seen in Fig. 5. These cutters or knives are soarranged as to cut off the picks from the slitted block in the form ofan ellipse on one side, while the rotary cutters have slit the block inparallel lines. This makes a pick with two parallel sides, and two sidesforming an ellipse.

This lost motion, referred to in the connection of the pitman G with theslide E, is so arranged in relation to the movements of the cam I, andits connections with the slide-cam K, that these parts move all inconcert from the movement of the crank-shaft.

As soon as the picks are shaved off by the .knives T, the slide moves alittle farther along, so as tobring the lever U, Figs. 1 and 3, againstthe stopV, which moves back the pawl over the ratchet-teeth, ready toact on the feed-screw. This lever is hung loosely upon the wrist W ofthe feed-screw W. The upper end of the lever is provided with a pawl, f,which pawl actuates the ratchet-wheel h. To this ratchet-wheel is fixedthe feed-screw W, Fig. 2. This feed-screw is journaled in the slide E,directly under the clamp-head D. This screw passes through a nutconnected with the clamp-head D. By this means the feed-screw will causethe clamp-head to slide upon its ways on the slide E to and from therotary cutters, according to the turn of the screw W. The crank on thescrew-shaft is for the purpose of withdrawing the clamp-head D from therotary cutters, to insert a new block after a former one has been cut upinto picks. The said blocks are secured to the clamp head D by means ofa set-screw, i, or other suitablev devices, the block S being placed ina recess or cavity in. the clamp-head, as seen in Fig. 2.

By means of the lever U and ratchet, in connection with the feed-screwW, the block is fed up the thickness for the picks as they areconsecutively shaved off, after being slit by the rotary cutter.

On the return of the head-block G from V to .V, Figs. 1 and 2, the leverU is brought in contact with the stop V, which moves back the lever U,and moving forward correspond-= ingly the pawl f, and thereby turningthe ratchet-wheel IL. This action of the stop V in moving back the-leverU, and actuating the pawl and ratchet connected with the feedscrew W,moves the clamp-head and block S therein the proper distance for thethickness of a pick to the rotary cutters, which, as before mentioned,slit the block then it is moved to the knives T, when the part of theblock which has been slit is shaved off into toothpicks, &c.

By changing or giving a different shape and form to the knives Tlamp-lighters may be made as well as tooth-picks.

By the described construction and arrangement, the several parts move inconsecutive order, and in proper time in feeding, slitting, and shearingoff the articles from the block.

The knivesTare in two pieces, j and 70, as seen in Fig. 5. The part 70first acts on the block, and is in form the half of anellips'e. Theother part, j, forms also an ellipse, with curved or bent ends, as seenin Figs. 3 and 5. The two knives are set one in advance of the other,for the purpose of shaving or cutting off the picks with the part k ofthe knife T, and shaving off the face of the block with the part j ofsaid knife at the same time. The object is to cut the picks with twoparallel sides and two elliptical or curved, terminating in pointedends. This is done by first shaving off the face of the block, whensecured'in the clamp head D, by moving the slide, along with the face ofthe block, in contact with the part k,

which gives a curved or concave face to the wood, correspondingto theline k k ofthepartj, and by the part j a face corresponding to the linej j. Then the block is movedbackandfed up to the rotary cutters, whichcut into the face of the block in parallel slits, in the line of thegrain, the thickness for the picks, after which the block is carriedalong to the part k, which, in shaving off the picks, leaves the face ofthe block curved or concave, which face is then shaved off by the. partj, so as to curve outward, leaving the face of the block in the line jj. The part in cuts oif the picks inside of the line j j, which leavesthe face-line opposite to j j also curved or elliptical. This makes thepick convex on two sides. The part 70 leaves the face of the blockconcave, and the picks or pieces cutoff correspondingly convex, whichforms one of the curved sides of the picks, and the other curved side ismade by the part j, by changing or cutting the concave face of the blockas left by the part 70 to a convex surface.

The cutters T may be used without the rotary cutters, in which casesheets of wood may be shaved or cut off from the block with both sidescurved or convex, and then slit or cut up into picks.

' What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is- I 1. The cam I, arm J, and link L, in combination with the slide-camK, rollers a, and

counter-slides K K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. t

2. The clamp-head D,havingalateral andreciprocating movement, incombination with the rotary cutters N and cutters T, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

3. Rollers a, cam-slide K, and counter-slide K, in combination with thecounterslide K and rotary cutters N, connected with the reciprocatingslide M, substantially as and for the purpose specified. v

4:. The cutters T, consisting of the two pieces j k, constructed andarranged, in relation to each other and rotary cutters N, operatingconjointly, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. The spring Q, reciprocating slide M, and rotary cutters N, incombination with the headblock 0, constructed and arranged to operateconjointly with the cutters T, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

WILB-UR F. SWATHEL.

Witnesses C. E. LINDSLEY, W. H. BURRIDGE.

